The name of the street where the Dursleys live is a reference to that most suburban plant, the privet bush, which makes neat hedges around many English gardens. I liked the associations with both suburbia and enclosure, the Dursleys being so smugly middle class, and so determinedly separate from the wizarding world. The name of their area is 'Little Whinging', which again sounds appropriately parochial and sniffy, 'whinging' being a colloquial term for 'complaining or whining' in British English.
J.K Rowling:
Although I describe the Dursleys' house as big and square, as befitted Uncle Vernon's status as a company director, whenever I wrote about it I was unconsciously visualising the second house I lived in as a child, which on the contrary was a rather small three-bedroomed house in the suburb of Winterbourne, near Bristol. I first became conscious of this when I entered the number four Privet Drive that had been built at Leavesden Studios, and found myself in an exact replica of my old house, down to the position of the cupboard under the stairs and the precise location of each room. As I had never described my old home to the set designer, director or producer, this was yet another of the unsettling experiences that filming the Potter books has brought me.
For no very good reason, I have never been fond of the number four, which has always struck me as a rather hard and unforgiving number, which is why I slapped it on the Dursleys' front door.
J.K Rowling:
Although I describe the Dursleys' house as big and square, as befitted Uncle Vernon's status as a company director, whenever I wrote about it I was unconsciously visualising the second house I lived in as a child, which on the contrary was a rather small three-bedroomed house in the suburb of Winterbourne, near Bristol. I first became conscious of this when I entered the number four Privet Drive that had been built at Leavesden Studios, and found myself in an exact replica of my old house, down to the position of the cupboard under the stairs and the precise location of each room. As I had never described my old home to the set designer, director or producer, this was yet another of the unsettling experiences that filming the Potter books has brought me.
For no very good reason, I have never been fond of the number four, which has always struck me as a rather hard and unforgiving number, which is why I slapped it on the Dursleys' front door.
1 Egg White (buy ready pasteurised egg white from the shop, rather than just using raw eggs)
12 oz Icing Sugar (powdered sugar)
3 drops Peppermint Essence
Liquorice Laces
Instructions
Whisk egg white until frothy.
Beat in sugar and essence.
Knead well.
Shape into spheres by rolling between palms.
Wrap in liquorice laces.
Cool in fridge. :)
lollipops (Way-Sour Charms Blow Pops, Dum Dums, etc)
Pop Rocks (whatever flavor you choose)
Instructions
Remove the lollipops from their original wrappers.
Open the Pop Rocks and pour them in a shallow bowl.
If your lollipops are not sticky enough on their own, dip them quickly in plain water.
Roll the lollipops in the Pop Rocks until they are completely covered.
Wrap them in plain wax paper squares.
The Pop Rocks immediately start losing their "pop" when in contact with the moisture in the lollipops, so assemble these as close in time to serving as possible for the best effect
12 oz Icing Sugar (powdered sugar)
3 drops Peppermint Essence
Liquorice Laces
Instructions
Whisk egg white until frothy.
Beat in sugar and essence.
Knead well.
Shape into spheres by rolling between palms.
Wrap in liquorice laces.
Cool in fridge. :)
lollipops (Way-Sour Charms Blow Pops, Dum Dums, etc)
Pop Rocks (whatever flavor you choose)
Instructions
Remove the lollipops from their original wrappers.
Open the Pop Rocks and pour them in a shallow bowl.
If your lollipops are not sticky enough on their own, dip them quickly in plain water.
Roll the lollipops in the Pop Rocks until they are completely covered.
Wrap them in plain wax paper squares.
The Pop Rocks immediately start losing their "pop" when in contact with the moisture in the lollipops, so assemble these as close in time to serving as possible for the best effect